1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, in general, relates to botany and, more particularly, to hydroponics.
Growing plants indoors and by hydroponics is an important and emerging form of agriculture. The use of UV lighting as a part of hydroponics allows for greater illumination over more hours than is possible by conventional sunlight. Accordingly plant growth, and therefore yields, can be significantly increased for a given amount of time.
Indoor hydroponics allows for predicable growing conditions unaffected by environmental conditions including seasons. Seasonal crops can produce their harvests year-round. Possible frost and freezing during the fall, winter, and spring months are not an issue. There is no damage to foliage from winds that can injure the plant (or vine, bush, or tree) and lessen yields when it is grown indoors. Pests are more easily controlled. In summary, there are many advantages that hydroponics can provide.
However, there are problems with hydroponics. For example, as hydroponically grown plants grow especially fast, they are stringier and less stable. Their stems are thinner and they tend to produce larger fruit than by conventional growing methods. The heavier fruits put a strain that the thinner stems may not be able to support. Therefore, the plant stems may require additional support.
Also, the cost of electricity to run indoor lighting is expensive. It is desirable to maximize the benefits of the lighting that is used. The lighting is typically set up on an overhead track. The positioning of the lights may be fixed or motor controlled and variable on any axis (x, y, z). As the plants grow they tend to accumulate near the bottom where a growing medium is located. As they congregate together the uppermost foliage blocks light from reaching lower areas.
This impedes photosynthesis and thereby retards plant growth. It also wastes electricity that is used to inefficiently energize the UV lights that are not adequately illuminating the lower foliage.
The darkness under the foliage canopy and the moisture that is present creates a tendency for mold, mildew, and possibly fungus to form underneath the foliage canopy. The mold, mildew, and fungus can cause damage to the plants and also to the crops and fruits that are produced.
It is desirable to open the plants up so that the radiant UV light can reach the lower portions of the plants. This is accomplished by spreading and maintaining the stems into a more open orientation. A more open positioning will promote optimum continued plant growth and it will also retard the formation of mold or mildew. It also allows for less lighting to be used thereby saving electricity.
However, as the plants continue to rapidly grow, it is important to remember that the stems are thinner and that they will require continued additional support. It is important to support the fragile, thinner stems in a way that does not pinch or otherwise injure them. Prior art methods of securing the stems to any support structure can overly pressure them.
However, in a short period of time it will again become necessary to once again reposition them and open them up in additional ways in order to continue to permit illumination to reach the lower portions of the plants. In other words, a frequent, periodic repositioning of the plant stems, foliage, and emerging fruit is required.
Prior art methods of securing hydroponic plants to a supporting structure have failed to meet the needs of the hydroponic farmer. Obviously, plants start small and, hopefully, continue to grow and become large. The principal type of prior art support is commonly sold as a tomato cage. It has a cone shaped wire grid structure and is of fixed size and shape. All known support structures have a fixed overall size and shape.
Understanding that the plant will start small and grow large this creates a tradeoff in determining how large of a plant support structure to use. If a plant support structure that is large enough to accommodate the size of the plant when fully grown is used then it is difficult or virtually impossible for a user to reach down into the structure and secure the plant during its earlier stages of growth.
If a plant support structure that is small enough to permit easy access for a user to reach a smaller plant is used, then the structure will not provide a sufficient amount of the outer or upper support that is required to accommodate the growth of the plant.
Also other types of plant supports are not intended for use with hydroponics where plant growth is quick and where thinner stems tend to accumulate at or near the bottom. These prior art types of plant supports do not provide for sufficient radial expansion to occur right at the bottom of the plant where it is needed for hydroponically grown plants. Neither do they provide the flexibility to extend upward while increasing radial extension. Both are needed to ensure that rapidly growing hydroponic plants are disposed in an open way to allow light to penetrate to the bottom and also to support the thinner stems along their longitudinal length.
There is another problem with prior art types of plant supporting structures. The members that extend upward have sharp ends that can cut or puncture the user who is trying to reach downward. Worse yet, there is the very real danger that in a moment of carelessness the user can reach downward and possibly poke an eye.
Also, the prior art devices used to secure plants to the structural support members are generally known as various types of “plant ties”. These are a type of fastener that are used to secure a plant stem to the structural support member. It is difficult to apply or to remove the prior art types of fasteners (i.e., plant ties). They are time consuming to apply or remove and they can damage the plants.
It is important to note that with fast-growing hydroponic plants, the need to remove the plant ties and reposition the plants is frequent. Therefore, the plant ties must be undone, the plants moved, and then secured again to the structural support members in a new position.
Certain of the prior art types of plant ties are made of wire that is twisted around the stem and support member. Wire plant ties are not suitable for many plants because they can cut or otherwise damage the stems, especially the fragile stems of hydroponically grown plants. If they are twisted too tight, they can actually cut, girdle, or even sever the stem.
Other types of plant ties include a hook and loop backed strip of material that is sold under the VELCRO trade name and is wrapped around both the plant stem and the stem support member. These must be wrapped around both the stem and the support member and an excess length of overlapping material is then pressed together. It takes time to wrap the strip around the plant stem and support member and to align the overlapping portion with a portion of the strip that is underneath. Then the upper overlap must be pressed down on the lower portion. This action can apply too great of a pressure to the stem, possibly crushing a softer, weaker stem such as is common with hydroponically grown plants.
When removing any of the prior art devices a user can easily contact and gouge the plant stem or cause friction to the stem which can damage the stem and reduce yield. It also takes an excessive amount of time to undo the prior art types of supports. Wire plant ties must be untwisted. The end of the hook and loop type must first be located. Then a user must force the end up thereby separating the hook portion from the loop portion until a sufficient amount of the strip has been separated to permit the user to peel the hook portion from the loop portion of the remaining overlap.
Also, prior art structures do not sufficiently open up the plant (i.e., extend the plant outward, radially) so that the UV light can illuminate the lower portions of the plant. Additionally, the degree or magnitude of opening radially that needs to occur can vary by plant species and even plant to plant as it grows. Prior art supports do not provide a capability to open the plants radially to a varying degree while simultaneously providing a vertically expandable support structure as is optimally required to accommodate the resultant vigorous plant growth that then occurs.
It is important to note that virtually any desired plant or shrub or even tree can be grown by hydroponic methods. The changing laws of supply and demand dictate which types of flora are best suited for hydroponic growing at any given time. However, regardless of what species of plant is being grown hydroponically, the above-mentioned difficulties exist.
Accordingly, there exists today a need for a hydroponics plant support system for growing plants hydroponically that helps to ameliorate the above-mentioned problems and difficulties as well as ameliorate those additional problems and difficulties as may be recited in the “OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION” or discussed elsewhere in the specification or which may otherwise exist or occur and are not be specifically mentioned herein.
Clearly, such an apparatus would be a useful and desirable device.
2. Description of Prior Art
Plant support structures are, in general, known. For example, the following patents describe various types of plant support devices:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,125 to Zayeratabat, that issued on Oct. 9, 2001;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,258 to Schneider, that issued on Apr. 3, 2001;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,854 to Wilkins, that issued on Feb. 16, 1999;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,107 to Louisiana, that issued on Jan. 27, 1998;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,209 to Sheu, that issued on Aug. 6, 1996;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,780 to Dyke, that issued on Sep. 27, 1994;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,678 to Schweiker, that issued on Jul. 12, 1994;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,335 to Holtkamp, Jr., that issued on Feb. 1, 1994; and
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0044786 A1 to Mastronardi that published on Mar. 3, 2005.
While the structural arrangements of the above described devices may, at first appearance, have similarities with the present invention, they differ in material respects. These differences, which will be described in more detail hereinafter, are essential for the effective use of the invention and which admit of the advantages that are not available with the prior devices.